The Era of the Dinosaurs
by strikinglightning
Summary: Time has passed since the American Football World Cup and it's time for a new year of high school football in Japan. The runner-ups in the Kanto region in the Hakushuu Dinosaurs, however, are in for some changes as a new foreign exchange student from the football heartland could be the final piece of the puzzle they need in order to contend and make it to the Christmas Bowl.
1. Chapter 1 - Arrival

_As he steps out of the jet bridge, the distinctive sounds of PA announcements in both Japanese and English along with crowds moving all over the place leave him in pure awe. Narita International Airport, needless to say, is humongous. Grabbing a small yellow book that has been his best friend for the last six months since deciding to take this trip, he scans a few words in it and looks up at a board of announcements – making out some of the words but not quite everything. He pockets the book in his large red and black backpack with the Nike swish logo on the back and pulls out two folded pieces of paper – one being a map of Narita with notes written in sharpie in his native tongue, the other being a map of the railway routes between Tokyo and NRT. Examining both maps, he puts the railway map behind the airport one and slowly, he begins to make his way through the crowds and up to the baggage claim area._

_About thirty minutes later, after getting confused as to which station was dispensing his bags, he finally had them at his feet. A duffel bag, a giant travel bag and a smaller carry-on he brought with him alongside the backpack in his back. He looks over at the map again and memorizing the exact route he needed to take in order to get out of the terminal before folding those papers and throwing them in his back pocket. Looking up, he adjusts his cap and manages a small grin even if the flight's left him quite tired and with a major case of jet lag. Hell, none of that really mattered right now._

_He was finally here. He had finally arrived Japan._

_Following the route and bits written on the map, he eventually made his way out of the North Wing of Terminal 1 and onto the outside of Narita. It was nice, breezy day outside with the sun shining and a few clouds on the horizon. Breathing in the air, he finally overhears a bit of shouting that's even more so distinctive amidst the crowd roaming the outside – getting closer and closer with each second._

_He finally turns around, seeing a girl close to his own age run towards his direction, waving as if to get his attention – whether they're excited or just plain tired, he cannot even begin to tell. He waits until she gets closer and it seems he was the intended target she was shouting at all along, as she stops a few feet short from where he's standing. Panting slightly, the girl finally looks you in the eyes and smiles kindly._

"_Ano…suminasen_, excuse me, but are you the American?" _she asks curiously in her native Japanese, making sure to keep the words slow so he understands._ "The one who is enrolling in Hakushuu this year?"

_He nods._ "Yes, that is me_." He manages a small smile, feeling a bit like an idiot. Even after two years' worth of classes and practice, he still felt self-conscious about his Japanese even if his teacher has praised him time and time again in his pronunciation of it._ "My name is Curti- erm, Kurt Parker. It is a pleasure to meet you."

_She nods. _"I'm Maruko Himuro. It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Parker-san," _she explains, offering him a small bow to which he follows awkwardly – standing at nearly 183 cm (6') made Parker considerably taller than most people in this entire country. Maruko can definitely see why he was so interested in getting this specific transfer from the airport. Once the quick greeting is out of its way, she speaks up again._ "I am sure you have a lot of questions about Hakushuu High, but Reiji and I can answer those in the car. We should get going."

"Yes," _replies Kurt, grabbing his luggage and carry-on and following her to the lower area until reaching the parking lot and the parked silver Subaru Legacy. In the front seat, with his seat leaned back sits a man sipping on a one liter glass bottle of Coca-Cola, wearing a sleek and tailored three-piece Italian suit. As Maruko pops the trunk open, she nods as Kurt then places his duffel bag and pieces of luggage on it, closing the trunk shut before entering through the back door – having to bend quite a few inches in order to do so without bumping his head. As Kurt takes his seat, the man that was sitting side reaches out to him with his right hand._

"Hey. You must be the American transfer. Maruko Reiji," _he says, offering his hand in a more typical Western greeting, which Kurt soon shakes._ "Call me Marco. Maruko's a rather girly name."

"Makes you wonder why your parents gave you the name, doesn't it Reiji," _Maruko replies, as she looks backward before pulling out of her parking spot and then beginning to drive the Subaru out._

"Oh, so you'd like me better if I were a girl, _**Maria**__?_" _replies Marco with a devilish grin, getting a swift punch on the shoulder from Maria's left arm._ "Easy. It was a joke, you know."

_Maria flashes him a small grin before focusing back on the road. _"So, Parker-san, how was your flight?"

"Long. Very long," _Kurt explains, sighing. From his native city of Orlando, Florida to LAX and then to Narita, it took quite a few sittings in flights and there was definitely a lack of sleep in his eyes. However, he did not mind – an opportunity to study abroad in Japan for a year was something he has been excited about ever since setting it up._ "Thank you for picking and of course, to Hakushuu for taking me in."

"Believe me my American friend, we're glad to have you aboard," _says Marco, taking another sip of his Coca-Cola shortly after._ "As one of the student council's representatives, it is my job to get you introduced come the start of the semester – as you know, you're staying with Maria here at her place through the year…"

_Kurt's eyebrows rise – a part of him definitely wasn't sure where Reiji was going with this one. Maybe something got lost in translation._ "Question. Is Maruko-san a Hakushuu student?"

"I was. Graduated last year," _she replies._ "I'm a first-year at the Open University of Japan right now and have my own apartment. So you'll be rooming with me for the year."

"Consider yourself lucky," _says Marco with a devilish grin._ "She's a pretty amazing cook."

"I thought host parents are the normal way for exchange students in Japan," _comments Simba, quite confused. After all, Maruko Himuro was a fairly good-looking woman and he was a man; add that in with a living situation that Kurt has seen in far too many cheesy and raunchy comedies in the past and…_

"Don't worry about it. My apartment is close to Hakushuu and I used to do Reiji's job last year, so it is much easier to have you room with me rather than through a set of host parents." _She looks back, flashing Kurt a small smile before focusing back on the road._ "I'm not going to bite, I promise."

_Kurt finally manages a small nod. _"Thank you, I guess."

_There is a moment of silence between the three, before Marco decides to shift into a different subject entirely. _"So Kurt, American football. Or just football, as you call it in America…thoughts?"

"Wait…what do you mean Japan knows about football?"

_That gets an odd look from both Marco and Maruko, as they look back at Kurt in the backseat – although Maruko shifts her focus back to the road. Marco, on the other hand, keeps his gaze, blinks a few times and then manages a small chuckle._

"Well, yes. We've known about it for quite some time," _Marco replies, taking a sip from his bottle of Coke._ "Not to rub my ego or anything, but I was the starting free safety for the Japan team that got second place in the American Football Youth World Cup a few months ago."

_Kurt scratches the back of his head, before glancing back at Marco. _"Oh yes. I remember reading about it on the papers," _he explains._ "It didn't get much broadcasting on television even though they made a big deal about it a month or so prior to it starting."

"Parker-san, but they broadcasted it in stations worldwide," _says Maruko, sounding slightly confused by the foreigner's last statement._ "I don't understand."

"Maruko-san, Marco-san…it's hard to explain but I will try. From what I read back home after it was all over, there was a breach of contract between ESPN and Morgan, the guy who organized the tournament in the first place." _Kurt Parker crosses his arms, sighing._ "Morgan was too greedy – decided he wanted even more money from ESPN for the rights to show the Cup. ESPN didn't take kind to that, programming changes were made, they sued Morgan for all he was worth after it was all done," _he explains._ "Whole case going to trial soon, but it got worse. The NFL came down on him due to his whole 'one player automatically entering the NFL' deal. That rule done without their consent."

_Marco whistles lowly, quite impressed at the shenanigans that unfolded – not to mention, the lack of news after it was all said and done._ _They all just assumed Patrick "Panther" Spencer was already off to the races as a NFL running back._ "So, what ended up happening?"

"The Armadillos are no longer a part of the NFL, Morgan had to sell off the team to cover for his losses and considering the lack of viewership, all we remember this Cup by is the drama that followed afterward." _Kurt looks over at Marco and Maruko again, managing a small shrug._ "If anything, I feel bad for Patrick. I know he was talking about how excited he was to get a chance at that opportunity before it all blew up on everybody's faces."

"Spencer…?" _asks Maruko, the name sounding a little too familiar._ "Wait, you know of Panther-san?"

_Kurt's answer is a few, rapid nods. _"My high school played against his in an exhibition game during their spring break a few months ago, got to know him a little during the time his team was in town," _Parker explains._ "He's a good guy. He's a bit of a jokester but definitely intense when he puts on the helmet."

"Ooh, so you've seen just how fast he is," _Marco says._

"No doubt. Fastest player around, even when counting the NFL players," _Kurt replies, before leaning back a little further into his seat._ "But wow. It's cool that Japan plays football. At least I won't miss that aspect about it."

"If football is what you're looking for, then you couldn't have transferred to a better place," _comments Maruko, shifting lanes and taking a specific exit in the process._ "Hakushuu has a great football team. Marco's kind of the brains behind it all, but the team itself has got heart. Even if sometimes the tactics aren't the most favorable."

_Marco glances over at Maruko, as if to wonder if she was really planning on going on the entire tangent that they have discussed since after Hakushuu's loss to the Deimon Devil Bats in the Kanto Tournament Finals._ "Let's not scare our exchange student here, shall we?" _asks Marco, finally getting a nod from "Maria" a few moments later before he claps his hands together, looking over to the back seat again. _"Needless to say, we'd be glad to have another person on board for our team as well – it's grown rather tremendously since last year." _He finishes the remainder of his Coca-Cola._ "So, what position do you play, Kurt?"

"Coach shifted between running back and corner back. Although I like the running back position best."

"Huh. You don't say…" _Marko takes another sip from his Coke and the expression on his face doesn't go unnoticed by the woman driving the car._

"What are you scheming now, Marco?" _Maruko asks, snapping the Hakushuu QB to his senses._

"Oh, nothing too big…some things in regards to our playbook for this upcoming season, but outside of that…" _Before he can go any further, Marco turned around in a ninety-degree angle from his spot, arms leaning on the top part of his seat, eyes on the foreigner himself._ "So, can I perhaps slot you in as one of our new club members once everything's in full gear for this year?"

_Kurt exhaled, managing a frantic nod with a huge smile._ "If it means playing football, I'm in."

"_**Splendido!**_" _Marco exclaimed in an Italian fashion, shaking hands with Kurt one more time. _"I'm certain your time with us will be worthwhile. Trust me…we're planning on some big things for this year."

_His grin was from ear-to-ear as he turned back to face the road and saw a vision of what the future could hold. The new, foreigner kid's build, the fact he was already familiar with the spot and of course, the kind of offense that they could run with Kurt Parker and his abilities on board…_

_Needless to say, if everything went well, the teams in the entire Kanto area wouldn't know what the hell was about to hit them._


	2. Chapter 2 - Adapting

_He could hear the alarm ringing in frantic fashion on the drawer over to his right. With a mutter followed by a groan, he twisted his body around, arm swinging outward and three fingers smacking against the big button in the middle of the alarm clock now indicating 06:00. Sitting up, he glanced around the room, eyes blinking repeatedly in order to gain his bearings and the bags beneath his eyes showing all the signs of a very tired young man. Kurt Parker still wasn't fully used to the massive time difference between his native home of the United States of America and Japan and just having a few days in him to get used to it wasn't going to do the trick. But today was the first big day at Hakushuu High, the day he'd been waiting anxiously for ever since being accepted into this foreign exchange program. The fact that he'd be able to get a first glance of a culture that sparked his interest through things like anime and videogames and that grew into something more by furthering his knowledge about it through any articles he could get, travel channel shows about Japan, etc._

_Making his way out of the bed, Kurt carefully looked around the nearby surroundings before finding the switch to light up the desk lamp to allow him a better view of his new bedroom. It was much smaller in size than his own in America, but with a little bit of decoration – mainly some posters and an extra pillow for his futon – he managed to start making himself at home over the past few days. In fact, Maruko had encouraged him to do so. While she wasn't at home too much during the week given her university's schedule, the time spent with her on these past two weeks preparing for the new term had been very enlightening. An exchange of lessons of both English and Japanese to one another, her cooking was everything Marco hyped it to be and it was a much better (and less awkward) situation than he expected it to be. Combining that along with the fact the apartment complex did have a small fitness center with weights, Kurt wasted no time in making himself a frequent visitor of it._

_The idea of playing football in Japan struck him by surprise at first, but after Marco had been so kind as to deliver him just about all the archives that Hakushuu had gotten over the past year of competition alongside the World Youth Football Cup that barely got shown in America, the young American was starting to see exactly why Marco was enticed about the idea of playing. The Japanese weren't too shabby. A lot of balance with the given talent across the country and for high schoolers to be able to take on and defeat battle hardy, experienced teams with some semblance of NFL experience (well, NFL Europe, but that still sorta counted) or with teams much older and wiser…it was a surprise to watch. Almost scary, in a good way…_

_He couldn't wait to get out in the field._

_But he needed to get to the school first._

"Ah crap," _he exclaimed under his breath as he took a second glance at the watch, quickly jumping off his futon and going on through the set motions to prepare for his day between showering, brushing his teeth, combing his hair to a point where it looked somewhat presentable, throwing on his school clothes and managing to catch a quick bite to eat alongside Maruko before she showed him, yet again, what train to catch and to take the stop to at Kobuchizawa Station – which was just a short walk away from Hakushuu High and the local distillery. As she parked the Subaru in front of Higashi-Yamanashi Station, Maruko took a second glance at Kurt._

"Are you sure you won't get lost doing this?"

_Kurt could see the concern on her face, but he nodded regardless. _"Have to learn sooner or later, right?"

_She returned his smile back with one of her own._ "Don't get lost, then. But if it happens, call Reiji on that cell that we got you. He'll know what to do."

"Shouldn't come to that, I hope," _Kurt ducked his head and exited the car, grabbing his bag and tossing the strap over one shoulder before closing the door carefully behind him._ "Thanks again, Maruko-san."

"Have a good first day." _Kurt waved and watched as she drove off into the distance and with that, he dug into the pockets of his pants and brought up a map with written instructions on each of the stations, necessary lines and everything he needed to guide himself through the process of not messing up his first day. Taking a deep breath, he turned around, facing the station in front of him and exhaling softly._ "Well…here goes nothing."

"Soooo…how fun was it getting lost in the Japan railway system, my American friend?"

"I don't want to talk about it, please…"

"I'm not holding it against you. I just never would have thought you'd have gotten out two stations too soon and we'd run across you on your way out…talk about lucky."

_Hanging his head low, Kurt is simply shaking his head while Reiji Maruko – or rather, Marco, given his apparent disdain for the name – watched him, flashing Kurt a sheepish grin as the two sat in the backseat of what looked to be a rather spacious car that had the kind of leather that one didn't see gracing the seats of cars very often. The car maneuvered without too much trouble through the streets, even when given its large size._

"So, tell me…how in the world did you get one of these again?" _Kurt asked, using his index finger and spinning it in the air to indicate the entirety of the vehicle the two sat in._

"It's a company car, belongs to my father." _Marco takes the soda bottle in his hand and brings it to his lips, taking a sip from it._ "He is adamant about me making use of it to get to school and other places." _He shrugged._ "Can't complain. It is a rather comfortable way of travel."

"Wow," _Kurt whistles lowly._ "What does your father do?"

"Oh, y'know, he's just the head of a gigantic family that extends across parts of Japan and has influence in Sicily," _Marco replied nonchalantly, watching as Kurt's expression changed from curious to outright frightened._ "Legitimate business, ya know?"

"He's a Maf-…mafio-"

_Marco stifles a laugh, taking another sip from his drink before his expression turns into a rather disappointed one, as he shakes his head._ "Maybe it's the language barrier, but you are just a liiiitle bit too gullible, my foreign friend." _Marco sighed, as he saw Kurt breathe a sigh of relief._ "He actually works for the government at the embassy of Italy and his side of family is loaded, so put two and two together..."

_Kurt's expression turned into a sour one, as he sighed again. It wasn't really a language barrier, but more so his ability to fall for stories rather easily._ "Anyways, how close are we?"

"Very." _Marco points to the window to Kurt's left._ "Take a look for yourself."

_Glancing at the window, Kurt's eyes widen as he takes in his first sighting of Hakushuu High – the school itself not being as big as he envisioned, but by no means a small school. He could already see a few students in their respective uniforms making their way through the open gates, some making casual conversation as they stepped forward, others stopped past the gate and chatting away. Beyond the gate, the building itself had a very traditional but imposing look to it, especially given all the foliage and nature growing around it, with massive cherry trees overlooking the courtyard and passage towards the main campus and while from a distance, Kurt Parker was able to spot what looked to be the rooftop for a massive greenhouse just west of the main campus. But before he could analyze the campus any further, the car came to a stop._

"Well, we're here." _Marco picked up his bag with his right hand, keeping the soda bottle tightened around his left._

"Right." _Kurt proceeded to grab his own bag and even adjust his own uniform a bit, almost feeling it would help him look a little more presentable as he heard the sound of the door opening on Marco's side, watching as Marco made his way out of the car and gradually proceeding to do the same, making sure to keep his head low on the way out as to not bump it like he did coming in._

_The school definitely looked twice as intimidating now that his feet were on concrete and he was only twenty feet away from the gate. Marco seemed to catch on to it, as he nodded towards the entrance gate._

"Don't wanna be late on the first day, now do you?"

"Um…yeah. Right." _Kurt took in a deep breath, taking the first steps forward and making his way towards the gate, glancing around and watching as a few, fair share of eyes went from whatever else people were doing to staring right at him – the uncommon body frame, hair, skin tone, the works. Marco walked alongside him, keeping his demeanor rather cool as he exchanged a few nods and smiles with who appeared to be familiar faces to him._

"You'll get used to it," _Marco said in reassurance._ "The transition shouldn't be too terrible. You'll be in class 2-H with us…"

"Us?" _Kurt asked._

"Oh, right, I forgot to tell you. A couple of the guys on the team are on the same classroom," _Marco explained._ "Two other new recruits alongside you in Makoto and Yashiro, then there are Mitsui, Kisaragi and Gaou…" _He stopped himself, flashing Kurt a small smile._ "You'll meet them very soon. But, for now, let's just worry about having you make it through your first day of classes before getting into all of that, huh?"

_Exhaling softly, Kurt smiled in approval as the two walked into the main campus. Kurt followed Marco carefully to their classroom, which was completely empty outside of one person. _

"Ah, Maruko-san." _The man glanced over Reiji's shoulder._ "Is that our foreign exchange student we'll be hosting this year?"

"Yes sir." _Marco turned over to Kurt._ "Parker-san, this is Kobayashi-sensei, our homeroom teacher."

"Ah." _Kurt bowed rather deeply, realizing the circumstances._ "_Ohayou gozaimasu!_"

_Kobayashi-sensei returns it with a much smaller, curt bow of his own. _"I look forward to having you in our classroom for the next year." _The homeroom teacher changed his focus over to Marco._ "Maruko-san, a word, if you will?"

_Nodding, Marco holds up a finger and quickly excuses himself as he and Kobayashi-sensei begin talking. While watching Marco interact with the older gentleman in a full suit with shiny black hair that didn't look a day past forty, the same sensation he felt in the morning grew even stronger. He was a foreigner in a strange land and yet, by a rare stroke of luck, he found himself a bit of familiarity, a sport that he knew and loved and could embrace alongside the sights, the people and the culture all around him._

_Maybe, sometimes, it is better to be lucky than good._

"…And as today is the beginning of a new school semester, your class was given the honor by the principal to host a foreign exchange student all the way from across the Pacific from Orlando, Florida, which is in the United States of America. So please, I would like you all to welcome our guest. Young man, would you please step in and stand before the class to introduce yourself?"

_While his steps were a little bit on the shaky side, Kurt made his way forward, stepping in next to Kobayashi-sensei and looking on at the full classroom that is staring right back at him. Taking a deep breath, he straightened his posture just a little more before finally speaking up._

"Good morning." _He exhaled deeply._ "My name is Kurt Parker. I am from Orlando, Florida in the United States. I was introduced to Japan at early age by an uncle who lived here for five years as photographer. I enjoy what little I seen of Japanese culture in America so it's why I wanted to come here for foreign exchange program. Very pleased to make your acquaintance!"

_The teacher nodded. _"Very good, is that all, Parker-kun?" _He nodded._ "Questions, class?" _A young girl raised her hand._ "Yes, Aname-san?"

"Where you are from…Orlando…is that where the real Disney World is?"

_The question was met by a few murmurs and Kurt nodded rather enthusiastically._

"Yes. Have been a few times. Very fun. But bigger fan of Universal Studios."

_The teacher nodded once more. _"Any other questions? Yes, Junpei-san?"

"What sports do you play? You kinda looked pretty intimidating," _he asked._

"I play American football. Used to play baseball when I was child. Also swim a lot."

"Any other questions, class?" _Kobayashi-sensei glanced around, noticing a few faces hesitant but no hands being raised. After a few seconds, he gestured toward the empty seat on the corner. _"Welcome to Japan and Hakushuu High School. If you will, please take the empty seat next to Rikiya-san and we shall go over this semester's syllabus and your scheduled classes. If you need help translating, Rikiya-kun should be able to help you out."

"…I got it covered."

_Kurt Parker finally glanced at the exact empty seat and of course, at the person sitting over to his left, who actually went through and stood up after having his name called out by the homeroom teacher in order to indicate his very presence. Between the wild, jet black hair falling beyond his shoulders, the pure physical specimen that even a school uniform couldn't hide, the visible scar on his forehead and a wicked grin that resembled that of a bloodthirsty beast than that of a human being, his presence alone commanded attention and outright intimidated anyone within the vicinity._

"That…has got to be…the biggest Japanese I have ever seen," _Kurt muttered under his breath in his native English language, blinking a few times as he gradually made his way towards the empty seat, almost in awe. He had seen the tapes from the World Youth Football Cup, but needless to say, the television didn't do his size justice._

_As Kurt sat down, so did the large man, who immediately glanced over at him, still wearing the same grin._

"Gaou Rikiya. You must be the newest recruit Marco's been talking about…"


End file.
